The present invention generally relates to methods and machines for cutting products. The invention particularly relates to machines equipped with a cutting head and an impeller adapted to rotate within the cutting head for transporting products to one or more knives mounted on the cutting head for cutting the products.
Various types of equipment are known for cutting (for example, slicing, shredding, granulating, etc.) food products, such as vegetable, fruit, dairy, and meat products. A widely used line of machines for this purpose is commercially available from Urschel Laboratories, Inc., under the name Urschel Model CC®, an embodiment of which is schematically represented in FIG. 1. The Model CC® machine line provides versions of centrifugal-type slicers capable of producing uniform slices, strip cuts, shreds, and granulations of a wide variety of products at high production capacities. When used to produce potato slices for potato chips, the Model CC® line of machines can make use of substantially round potatoes to produce a desirable circular chip shape with a minimum amount of scrap.
The Model CC® machine 10 represented in FIG. 1 includes a cutting head 12 mounted on a support ring 15 above a gear box 16. The cutting head 12 is generally annular-shaped with cutting knives (not shown) mounted at its inner circumference. An impeller 14 is coaxially mounted within the cutting head 12 and has an axis 17 of rotation that coincides with an axis of the cutting head 12. The impeller 14 rotates about its axis 17 within the cutting head 12, while the latter remains stationary. The impeller 14 is rotationally driven by a shaft that is enclosed within a housing 18 and coupled to the gear box 16. Products are delivered to the cutting head 12 and impeller 14 through a feed hopper 11 located above the cutting head 12. In operation, as the hopper 11 delivers products to the middle of the impeller 14, centrifugal forces cause the products to move outward into engagement with the knives of the cutting head 12. The impeller 14 comprises generally radially-oriented paddles 13, each having a face that engages and directs the products radially outward toward and against the knives of the cutting head 12 as the impeller 14 rotates.
As a result of factors and constraints relating to product size, slicing speed, slice quality, weight, etc., present commercial embodiments of Model CC® machines have cutting heads with diameters of under fourteen inches (under 35 cm). Other aspects pertaining to the construction and operation of Model CC® machines, including improved embodiments thereof, are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,694,824 and 6,968,765, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.